Practices for Resilience and Development

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When I take time to slow down, as I was able to do over the holiday break last week, my interest is refueled in practices that support our ability to maintain perspective and a sense of effective agency in the world. My line of inquiry is not simply around what can keep us energized, pull us back from the edge, or deal with burn-out, but focused on how we can align our internal state with external aspirations in an integrated way and grow ourselves so we can help evolve larger systems. My thinking and reading often takes me back to the work of Barbara Fredrickson, the emotions scientist based at the University of North Carolina, as well as to a host of others in the fields of positive and social psychology. Having revisited some of these writings over the break, here are 10 recommended practices for personal and social resilience and development:

Ritualize gratitude: Fredrickson defines gratitude as noticing the gifts and blessings in our lives. One way to notice is to keep a gratitude journal. The suggestion is to, at the start or end of each day, write at least one thing for which we are grateful. Studies show that this helps to develop our ability to handle adversity and grow possibility.

Write for 15 minutes a day, especially after or during a difficult or challenging situation: Research has shown this can help with meaning making and resilience.

Practice 3-5 acts of kindness every day: A practice that I like to invite groups to engage in is to note what assets we have that we can pass on to those in our networks. As the world’s wisdom traditions have long known, this has tremendous personal and social benefit.

Get the body moving: Go for a 20-30 minute walk. Do yoga. Maira Kalman among others has demonstrated the power of movement as a generative force of intellect, awareness, and creativity.

Last week’s post on “Negativity and Self-Limiting Advocacy” ended up setting off quite a conversation. In light of that, I thought I might further flesh out some of what Barbara Fredrickson recommends via her book Positivity...

“When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail.” -Maslow’s Maxim Someone once said, “Advocates can be hell to work with, but they make good ancestors.” Agreed. And ....

I’ll gear this review to 2 types of people: current Zune owners who are codinnersig an upgrade, and people trying to decide between a Zune and an iPod. (There are other players worth considering out there, like the Sony Walkman X, but I hope this gives you enough info to make an informed decision of the Zune vs players other than the iPod line as well.)